Description
Italian-inspired air fryer pork stuffing meatballs blend savory ground pork with herbed bread cubes for a comforting meal. Packed with herbs and spices, these meatballs deliver rich flavor in each bite you’ll love.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound (454 g) ground pork
- 1 egg
- 1 cup (240 ml) seasoned stuffing mix (crushed)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) milk (or broth)
- ¼ cup (25 g) grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried sage
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (optional)
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Preparation: Pulverize stuffing mix into coarse crumbs within a mixing bowl, creating a foundational texture for meatballs.
- Moisture Integration: Saturate crumbled stuffing with milk, allowing liquid to soften and transform the mixture into a pliable consistency for several minutes.
- Meat Incorporation: Blend ground pork with milk-infused stuffing, ensuring thorough and uniform ingredient distribution.
- Binding: Fold in egg to create structural cohesion and enhance meatball stability.
- Seasoning: Massage garlic powder, salt, and black pepper throughout the meat mixture, developing a harmonious flavor profile.
- Shaping: Form compact, symmetrical spheres by gently rolling the seasoned mixture between palms, maintaining consistent size and density.
- Preheating: Activate air fryer to 375°F, establishing an optimal cooking environment with precise heat circulation.
- Cooking Process: Arrange meatballs in a single layer within the air fryer basket, minimizing contact to promote uniform browning and even heat penetration.
- Finishing: Cook for 10-12 minutes, rotating midway to achieve a golden exterior while ensuring complete internal cooking, confirming 160°F internal temperature with a meat thermometer.
- Resting: Allow meatballs to settle for 2-3 minutes, enabling juice redistribution and maximizing flavor complexity.
Notes
- Optimize Stuffing Consistency: Crush stuffing mix finely to prevent large chunks, ensuring even texture and seamless meat integration.
- Moisture Balance: Avoid oversaturating stuffing with milk – aim for damp, not soggy mixture to maintain proper meatball structure and prevent crumbling.
- Binding Technique: Gently mix ingredients without overmixing, which can create dense, tough meatballs; use light folding motions for tender results.
- Temperature Precision: Use instant-read thermometer to guarantee pork reaches safe 160°F internal temperature, preventing undercooking while maintaining juiciness.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner, Appetizer, Snacks
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5
- Calories: 310
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 500 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 16 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg